“We are excited that we are bringing in a class that has great potential to be successful at this level,” said Goodale in a release from the university. “The one thing that sticks out the most is the fact there is tremendous upside with all of the wrestlers we are bringing in. I think we did a good job of going out-of-state and solidifying our line-up and roster with guys who want to be All-Americans and National Champions.”

Seidenberg was a three-time New Jersey state qualifier out of Raritan High School. He was a two-time runner-up in the state tournament and placed third as a senior this past winter at 171 pounds. He joins his brother, Dave, who will be a sophomore with the Scarlet Knights next season.

Kuntz, a product of Peachtree Ridge High School in Georgia, took home the 2009 Georgia State title and captured sixth place at the NHSCA High School Nationals at 189 pounds this past winter. He finished his final season with a 42-2 record.

Isenberg was a four-time National Prep place winner, finishing fifth as a freshman, third as a sophomore, second as a junior and fourth as a senior, at 135 pounds out of Wyoming Seminary High School in New Jersey.

Scholastic standouts Alex Abramat (Cypress Bay, Fla.), Evan Brewer (Flemington) and Luke Rigoglioso (Wayne) also committed to the Scarlet Knights and will enroll this fall. Abramat, who posted a 41-3 record as a senior at Cypress Bay High School, was a four-time district winner, three-time regional champion and two-time county title holder. He was a runner-up at the Florida State championships this past winter. A product of Hunterdon Central High School, Brewer was an honorable mention All-Skyland Conference selection who won the District 17 title and advanced to the New Jersey state regionals at 135 pounds his senior season. Rigoglioso was a four-time District Four champion, two-time Region One title holder and two-time New Jersey state qualifier out of Wayne Valley High School. His brother, Matt, will be a senior with the Scarlet Knights next season.

The latest additions to the program join Vinnie DelleFave (Toms River), Carl Buchholz (Malvern, Pa.) and Alex Pagnotta (Woodbine, Md.), who signed with the program last fall.

Rutgers is coming off a school record-breaking 20-win season in dual competition and will return a significant number of wresters as well as some very talented kids who red-shirted last season.

The spring signing period is over, but the Rutgers men’s basketball team is still holding out hope for James Beatty. The talented junior college point guard has kept his decision-making process under CIA-level wraps, but he is believed to be choosing between the Scarlet Knights and Miami.

Even though he can no longer sign a letter of intent binding him to a school, Beatty can still commit by signing scholarship papers right up until classes begin in August.

What is Plan B? Corey Chandler will run the point, with Mike Coburn helping out. It’s not ideal—both are combo guards, better at scoring than running an offense at the Big East level. But that’s the reality.

Rutgers has three open scholarships, and it’s possible the Scarlet Knights will look overseas for a wing with a shooting touch this summer. Otherwise, pending Beatty’s decision, what you see is what you will get on the court next winter.

SCHEDULE MATTERS: Rutgers’ non-conference schedule is just about finished. Here’s what it looks like:

Marist (season opener)

Vermont (Legends Classic)

Drexel (Legends Classic)

UMass (Legends Classic at The Rock)

Michigan State or Florida (Legends Classic at The Rock)

Colgate

At North Carolina

Princeton

Rider

Monmouth

St. Peter’s

NJIT

Possibly one more game if they can find someone to start a home-and-home with.

Fred Hill always has a thought for the day. Philosophical, motivational, a theme if you will. A week ago he dropped this on his team: sangre, sudor y rasgones.

“”Loosely translated,” Hill said, “”it’s blood, sweat and tears.”

Welcome to Road Trip Spanish, 101.

The Rutgers men’s basketball team flies to Madrid Friday for a 9-day excursion in Spain and the Canary Islands. They will play four basketball games and, hopefully by now are at least able to say, “”Hola!”

Marianne Stanley left after the 2007-08 season, Clarissa Davis-Wrightsil left after the 2008-09 season. And now comes Ron Hughey, the third straight coach hired by C. Vivian Stringer in to coach the post position.

It seems like she has another good one. And she’s excited. Especially since this hire came in the spring, rather than late summer. That means he can get right into recruiting.

Stringer left the following comments on my cell phone:

“I am highly enthusiastic to what he brings to all of us. He’s a young man who has worked in the SEC, and the MEAC more recently. And I’m really impressed with his personality, his high level of enthusiasm, his great knowledge of skills and his ability…he’s like the Pied Piper. I think the players will love him, I already do, and the coaches really respect him.

“It’s interesting because, I’ve never heard so many coaches that I’ve asked of their impressions of a person that might be working for us. I had one person call who was giving me his recommendation of someone else, but then when he heard that Ronald Hughey was one of my candidates, he stopped talking about his candidate and couldn’t say enough about Hughey. And I think that just speaks volumes. So with the kind of person that he has been, I really know that he’s going to really bring a level of excitement to me, the team and the coaches. Because he’s committed, he truly does what he does, and you feel the passion in his words. Just know we’re excited, and that for the past several years we’ve only had two coaches out on the recruiting trail because we hadn’t made the hires before September. This time I thought we’d get ahead of it, and because of that he’s going to be able to settle down and have a heck of an impact on this incoming freshmen class. He’s just going to be really good for us.”

We caught up with Ronald Hughey Friday afternoon, the new women’s assistant basketball coach at Rutgers. He is 38-years-old, is married and has daughters aged 16 and nine. A South Carolina native, Hughey played football, not basketball, for South Carolina State, where he went on to coach as an assistant for three years. Last year he was an assistant coach at Central Florida, following a one-year stint at the University of South Carolina.

His main responsibilities will be coaching the post and recruiting – and, he adds,
“”bringing my motivation and fire, especially on days when they don’t have it. You have to lift coach Stringer up every single day. When she says jump, I just ask her, “How high you want me to jump, coach? ”’

His coaching experience began at the middle school level, and took him to two high schools in his home state before landing a job at his old college.

His start date is set for June 1.

Following is much of the phone conversation we had.

WHY ARE YOU LEAVING YOUR SOUTHERN ROOTS?
“”You have to challenge your comfort zone. That’s
first and foremost.…continue reading →

South Carolina native Ronald Hughey has been hired as an assistant coach at Rutgers. He replaces Clarissa Davis-Wrightsil, who left Rutgers after one season due to personal reasons.
Hughey played football but not basketball at South Carolina State, where he eventually coached basketball as an assistant for three years. Last year he was an assistant coach at Central Florida, following a one-year stint at the University of South Carolina.

Prior to coaching on the college level his experience came from being a head coach at two high schools in South Carolina. He actually worked in the concrete business for a couple of years before returning to coaching in 2000.

Hughey, who will officialy start working for coach C. Vivian Stringer next month, is married and has two daughters, 16 and nine.

In a related matter, Rutgers announced that Monique Oliver signed her National Letter of Intent Friday and will be eligible to play in the upcoming season. The senior at Long Beach Poly in California. Her team finished No. 23 in USA Today’s national rankings this past season. Another McDonald’s All-America, her brother Melvyn, 6-foot-11, will be a sophomore at Seton Hall.

Monique Oliver, one of the top high school girls basketball players in America, is coming to Rutgers. The 6-foot-3 talent had originally committed to Southern Cal last fall, but got out of her letter of intent after a coaching change. A terrific rebounder, she’s attending Poly Prep in Long Beach, Cal., the same high school as forward/guard Jasmine Dixon did – last year’s Rutgers freshman who tranferred out in the first semester and is now at UCLA. With the graduation of center Kia Vaughn and freshman power forward Brooklyn Pope, Oliver will be a huge addition up front. Oliver gave a verbal commitment Thursday afternoon, according to sources. She averaged 12 points and 9.2 rebounds this past season on one of California’s best high school teams.

Rutgers remains in the hunt for LSU transfer Ayana Dunning, a 6-3 player who started nine games and averaged 5 points and four rebounds in 23 games as a true freshman for the Tigers. She is from Columbus, Ohio, where she played her high school ball at Eastmoor Academy.

The Rutgers University men’s basketball team just got a little smaller.

Earl Pettis, a 6-foot-5 sophomore wing who was a versatile role player for the Scarlet Knights the past two seasons, is transferring.

“Earl and I had a meeting in which he expressed his desire to return home to Philadelphia,” Rutgers head coach Fred Hill said in a statement Tuesday afternoon. “After discussing the matter with Earl and his family, we support his decision and will aid the process. Earl is a tremendous young man who has been a valuable member of the program for the past two seasons. We wish him nothing but the best in his future endeavors.”

The move comes as a bit of a surprise because Pettis has a solid relationship with Hill, who often referred to his game as “old school.” And he did get playing time, starting 20 games and averaging 4.6 points and 2.5 rebounds per game in 17.6 minutes this past season. On multiple occasions Hill called Pettis’ number with the game on the line; he hit the decisive 3-pointer in a 66-62 win at Rider Dec. 3 and missed an open look from the corner in a 65-60 loss to Seton Hall Feb. 8.

He may have seen his minutes stagnate or diminish next season, though, with the arrival of combo forward Jonathan Mitchell, who becomes eligible after transferring from Florida last year, and incoming freshman Dane Miller, a highly touted 6-5 wing from Rochester, N.Y. That said, sources close to the program indicated that Pettis’ move was more for personal reasons than basketball-related ones.

Known for good hands and a high basketball IQ—but not for his quickness or athleticism—Pettis shot .455 from the field, .298 from 3-point range and .750 from the free-throw line last season. He also recorded 26 steals, third-most on the team.

As a freshman in 2007-08 he averaged 3.2 points and 2.0 rebounds in 13.2 minutes off the bench.

Pettis is the second player to transfer out of the program in the past six months. Freshman center Christian Morris left in December.

His departure leaves the Scarlet Knights with just 10 scholarship players and three scholarships to give. The spring signing period ends May 20.

The final Big Ten match and a weekend to go over .500 The last weekend of the regular season....and Rutgers is sub-.500. Let me catch my breath. It’s been a rough season: the high of putting Nick Suriano on the mat coupled with the low of not having Anthony Ashnault. Injuries and a lack of […]